Monday, November 14, 2011

[6.75/10] In Time (2011)

Full review: Set in 2161, Andrew Niccol's latest sci-fi thriller is all about time. Literally. In the not-so-near future, people earn time, sell time, loan time, steal time, pay with time and trade with time, because their life literally depends on time, and conceptually, this premise is as just as intriguing and original as it sounds. Although this idea is hard-to-execute, Andrew Niccol manages to pull it off excellently. The director represents the future in a very believable way, where the world is divided into two categories - very rich and very poor. Those who have centuries of time on their 'counters' live like kings, and those who doesn't, live day by day in constant stress and fear. Having said that, the film is not without its flaws, there are some unnecessarily extended scenes and a couple of dull moments, but apart from that, "In Time" never fails to entertain and captivate the audience, but most importantly, it makes you think about what if something like this happens in real life? In terms of style and concept, there are some similarities between "In Time" and director's 1997 sci-fi hit "Gattaca". The latter remains one of the sci-fi masterpieces of the 90s, but Niccol's latest effort, while still creative and original enough, feels clearly inspired by its predecessor. That's not a bad thing by any means, because on one hand, it's an intentional reminiscent of "Gattaca", and on the other hand, it showcases the director's signature style and arsenal of inventive ideas. Thanks to the polished production design and slick cinematography, visually, "In Time" is as stylish as it's authentic. The poor areas of the world are grim, plain and gloomy, while New Greenwich, the city of time 'millionaires', is posh, lavish and sophisticated, and this visual juxtaposition represents the two very different types of life amazingly well. Since the characters in the movie are genetically engineered to stop aging at 25, what you can expect from the cast is only young, fresh and pretty faces, and it feels great to watch a movie full of beautiful people. Justin Timberlake is a hit-and-miss type of an actor, but he really doesn't disappoint this time around. The role suits him perfectly and he does a capable job of portraying his character's aims and struggles. Amanda Seyfried is just as talented as she's beautiful, and she delivers a fantastic performance as the spoiled, yet smart daughter of a time magnate, Sylvia. The supporting cast shines as well. Cillian Murphy gives a solid performance as the humble and loyal timekeeper, and his character is probably the most sympathetic of all. Alex Pettyfer is the biggest surprise here. No one would have guessed that Pettyfer could play a bad guy so convincingly, and believe me, he does it with a bang. Maybe for first time in film history Olivia Wilde's presence is not that annoying (Sarcastic quiz: Can you name a movie she doesn't star in? LOL.), but that's probably due to the fact that her screen time is very limited.

Overall summary: Although it gets a bit tiresome towards the end, and it's far from perfect, Andrew Niccol's futuristic thriller "In Time" still dazzles with its original premise, inventive script, atmospheric visuals and engaging cast, and it feels like a breath of fresh air among the sea of remakes and sequels that Hollywood continuously spews these days.

I'll check it out on NetFlix. Casting Timberlake as an action star seemed a bit of a stretch for me. And I have no problem with Olivia Wilde. You're right - she does seem to be in just about everything right now.

Alex, and I do have problems with Wilde, because she's just everywhere, and that annoys me.This is hardly an action movie, nor Justin's character is an action star, but he did a good job. It was actually his second-best performance right after the one he gave in "The Social Network".

I am loath to see this because I could not stand Gattaca. What a crashing bore that movie was! It took me three tries to watch it because I kept turning it off to do something better with my time. I think I'll probably wait for DVD. I love Justin and Matt Bomer, but I don't want to risk paying to take a nap. That being said, your review is thoughtful, honest and well-written. I enjoyed reading it. :)

Nicole, I wish we could all stop aging at 25, too, but sadly it a bit too late for me. I'm turning 30 this March. LOL. I hated Timberlake in "Alpha Dog" and a few other movies, but thought he did an amazing job in TSN. He was almost as good in this movie. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.